Xiong Jingnan Is Predicting A KO Win Over Tiffany Teo

ONE strawweight champion Xiong Jingnan, has reassured her dominance in the division by defending the title three times, since defeating Tiffany Teo at ONE: Kings of Courage two years ago, to win the inaugural ONE strawweight title.

Xiong has recently made a transition to Evolve MMA based in Singapore, from where she will prepare for upcoming matches, including her next title defence, a rematch with Teo.

Speaking to ONE Championship, Xiong opened up on her move to Evolve MMA.

“I saw there were many good coaches and athletes in this gym, and I wanted to be involved. I wanted to take a bigger step. I had been in Singapore several times to see what the situation was like, and in December, I officially joined Evolve because I wanted to improve and make more progress.

“I loved Singapore from the very beginning. I love the weather and the city vibe itself. I love to train with my teammates, I love my new gym, and I love to make jokes with my teammates while we are training.”

However, the second wave of coronavirus which has recently struck Singapore has prevented her to train properly.

“[The coronavirus outbreak] has affected my training hugely because now, I can only do some small, simple drills,” Xiong said. “I have to train alone with no coach helping me, no teammate training with me, and no gym equipment to use.

“I’ve been focusing on comprehensively training all my skills [while I have been at Evolve], and I think I would like to be more focused on my ground game [when the gym re-opens]. It is getting stronger.”

‘No Chill’ however, is also based in Singapore and will be having the same issues with her training as Xiong. Since losing to ‘The Panda’, she has had two back-to-back victories over Michelle Nicolini, and more recently, against Ayaka Miura at ONE: King Of The Jungle in February this year. With two impressive wins under her belt, Jingnan says she has noticed Teo’s development as a martial artist.

“She has made a lot of progress,” she said. “I feel very happy for her, and I am also looking forward to this match. Her mental strength has improved a lot. She has become more and more confident, and her skills have also improved a lot, too.”

When the two meet again, Xiong wants to make it a spectacle and finish the fight.

“It will be worth the expectation. Since my first ONE world title bout against her two years ago, we have both improved and changed a lot, especially on an emotional level. I couldn’t tell you how it will go since it’s very unpredictable in a mixed martial arts fight — you use many different skills, and the match can change in the blink of an eye. But let’s say it this way, I like to get the KO!”

Who do you think will win between Xiong Jingnan and Tiffany Teo when they meet each other inside the ONE Circle again?


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